Punch-Drunk Love
by xredrobinx
Summary: Some Chuck/Sarah a la Season Two with a twist. A seemingly normal mission goes astray when a chemical agent is released...what does this mean for Chuck and Sarah? Post Chuck versus The Suburbs.
1. Showtime, Mr Carmichael

**A/N: Howdy folks: before we kick off this journey, just a few things to consider *ahem*. As much as I love Chuck & Sarah, I (unfortunately) do not own them or any awesome part of the _Chuck_ series, they were created by the super-cool kids Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak, and was broadcast by NBC. This is purely for fun and making my smutty fantasies come to life (ha) so there is no monetary gain involved here: I'm a humble student who eats a copious amount of Mee Goreng and spends what should be food money on buying quality TV shows (hooray for television!) I think I've covered all my bases here but please don't sue me, I don't think I'd do well in jail - there's no Mee Goreng. **

** I know I'm quite late to joining the _Chuck_ bandwagon and t****his story is set in good ol' season two, just after_ Chuck versus the Suburbs_ but before _Chuck versus the Beefcake_ (no Cole here!) Just so you know, the M rating is for later in the story... just to keep you pervs interested ;D**

**EDIT: Combined Chapters 1 & 2 because my writing is ridiculously short!**

* * *

_**1**_

_I wanted love, I needed love,  
Most of all, most of all.  
Someone said true love was dead  
and I'm bound to fall, bound to fall  
for you._

_-'Tighten Up' by The Black Keys_

* * *

Chuck paused in front of the large teak doors at the back of the bustling hotel lobby and tried to compose himself. He took deep breath and adjusted his white-knuckle grip on the handle of the brown leather satchel draped over his shoulder, which now felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. _'It's just another routine mission'_ he muttered, his new personal mantra for dealing with his _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ experience; although instead of UFO's, his encounters consisted of rogue CIA agents and government secrets being downloaded into his brain. He wondered which sounded more farfetched. _'It's just another routine mission' _Chuck reassured himself as he waited for Sarah.

_Sarah_. Just the thought of his handler caused his calm veneer to shatter and his chest to uncontrollably tighten. His feelings for the blonde CIA agent had made every minute of them 'being a couple' but not _being_ a couple excruciating. Tonight did not help his situation: they were Dr. and Dr. Carmichael, newlywed geneticists attending a charity dinner hosted by GePro Laboratories which their mark, Dr. Lena Carlyle worked for.

NSA intelligence hinted at the possibility that Carlyle was developing genetic modifications for Fulcrum that were able to meld the human nervous system with the new Intersect, allowing instantaneous absorption of the information; resulting in no more overloading of the neural pathways hence a lot less head-related injuries for Fulcrum. Not to mention she was illegally conducting these experiments on humans. Hence the infuriatingly itchy monkey suit Chuck was forced to wear for the occasion. He absent-mindedly flattened the shiny lapels with one hand as Sarah's silken voice hummed in Chuck's earpiece, startling him more than if Casey had yelled into the piece.

"Chuck?" Sarah asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice. Chuck shifted his weight and spoke casually into his watch. "Yeah, Sarah?"

"You may have to go in without me… I'm having some wardrobe difficulties. Nothing major, it's just that we need to be briefed and ready. And I'm nowhere near ready. This dress is ridiculously tight, so I'm having a few issues." At this, Chuck coughed slightly, feeling embarrassed at the images appearing in his head.

"You sure you don't want me to, ahem, wait?" Chuck's voice cracked as he replied.

"It's okay. I'll just listen in over the feed." Sarah finished, her warm smile filtering into her voice.

"Okay then. Great. Well, see you soon. I guess." Chuck frowned and rolled his eyes at his rambling. He was always so awkward around Sarah. Chuck exhaled and pressed open the wooden doors, a large fake grin plastered on his face.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight of hundreds of obnoxiously rich doctors and benefactors dressed to the nines, boasting over caviar and champagne in the enormous auditorium which was housing the dinner. Huge blue and silver banners sporting the white GePro Laboratories insignia hung from the rafters of the glass ceiling, which was dark from the night sky. A string quartet played a lilting piece that a handful of graceful individuals were dancing to in the centre of the hall. Chuck let out a low whistle; this was unlike anything he could've imagined. He was so immersed in the atmosphere he didn't see an overburdened busboy who was struggling to carry the remnants of some large dish; Chuck managed to avert the impending disaster, sidestepping the apologetic busboy and flashing him a patented Carmichael grin. Pleased with his newfound agility, Chuck left to mingle, giving polite nods to passersby as he scanned the crowd for Casey. The NSA agent must have seen Chuck enter as his gruff voice barked through his wire.

"Bartowski! Stop looking like an idiot and get over to the bar." Chuck's smile stiffened as he turned towards the bar where Casey was glaring at him but also managing to take great interest in polishing a wine glass. Chuck mosied on over to the bar, looking as casual as he could but his handler's glower made him quicken his pace. Chuck gripped the back of the bar stool and lowered himself into it.

"Barkeep, what's your special?" He asked Casey, whose nostrils seemed to be spewing smoke at Chuck's flamboyant attitude. Casey gritted his teeth and leant towards his asset. "Can it, Bartowski. You flash on anything yet?"

"Well," Chuck started as he pretended to read the nametag on the bartender's uniform "...John. I haven't met anyone of interest yet." Chuck turned to face the crowd, searching for a certain person, but not the one Casey was looking for. And then he saw her.

She looked as beautiful as always, not that he would tell her that. Her blonde hair was styled upon her head accentuating the contours of her neck, her pale blue-grey eyes framed by ebony cat eye glasses that brought out their depth. Hanging amethyst earrings and a matching pendant that rested on the curve of her chest seemed to shine against her skin, dangling in the light breeze of the hall. His eyes followed down the skin-tight strapless midnight blue gown that hung on all the right places, past the split that begun midway down her right thigh that seemed to go on forever, making her creamy porcelain skin glow in contrast under the warm mood lighting. Chuck shrunk into his seat. She made him feel like a bug - a tiny, insignificant bug.

Sarah sauntered over to Chuck, whose arms were wide open for his 'wife'. The eyes of every male in the room were glued to Sarah, but she only had eyes for Charles Carmichael. She bent towards him, her lips brushing his face as she whispered and caressed his ear. "Chuck? Your earpiece is showing." As she fixed it he blushed, knowing that it wasn't the only thing showing. He cleared his throat and crossed his legs as Sarah sat on the stool next to him. Casey grunted, amused at his asset's self-consciousness and slid a drink on a coaster towards the CIA agent.

"The coaster's the keycard to Carlyle's room. Thought you could take Chuck up there to see if he flashes on something or someone on the monitor" Casey motioned to the satchel Chuck carried and continued. "I'll make the rounds down here and see if I can scope out potential Fulcrum agents."

"Thank you, Casey." Sarah murmured and slid the keycard into her purse. She coyly grabbed Chuck's hand and fiddled with the gold band on his ring finger. Chuck gulped and gave her what he thought was a suave smirk, noticing for the first time the diamond on her slender hand. The sight of the ring only made him incredibly nervous, as it brought back memories of Meadow's Branch and the 'life' the Carmichaels had. It saddened him to know how much Sarah had seemed to enjoy domestic life, a life she could never truly have. He wondered if their missions posing as a couple caused her as much pain as they did for him. Sarah sensed his tension and gave his hand a friendly squeeze. Chuck gave her a wan smile in response.

"Showtime, Mr. Carmichael."


	2. Going Up?

**A/N: Thanks to those special people who have taken their time to review PDL so far, you guys are amazeballs. **** HARDCORE ACTION SCENE. Pshh, yeah right. I tried my best, okay? **Just a reminder for you guys, this story is set in good ol' season two, just after _Chuck versus the Suburbs _but before _Chuck versus the Beefcake_. Also as badly as I wish it could be I don't own _Chuck_ or any of the characters. This is purely my mind going into overdrive. Enjoy. Oh, and feel free to give me ALL THE FEEDBACK! It helps, believe me :D

**EDIT: Once again, I've condensed the story for your reading pleasure ;D**

* * *

_**2**_

_She's the symbol  
of resistance  
and she's holding on my  
heart like a hand grenade_

_-'She's a Rebel' by Green Day_

* * *

This was quite possibly the most awkward elevator ride in Chuck's entire life. Sarah had been all over him in the hall; clinging to his side, whispering sweet nothings in his ear as they socialised. Playing the part of the doting newlywed was one of Sarah's fortes. She had wanted to be convincing, so as they linked arms and glided around the ballroom, she gave Chuck light kisses and nibbled at his ear as he discussed only god-knows-what with the pompous doctors, not to mention her occasional groping of his ass so hard that he thought it would go numb. He was acutely aware of her every move and he wasn't the only one. The entire time Chuck could feel Casey's eyes burning holes into the back of his head. That had been uncomfortable, to say at least.

Eventually after enough mingling to become inconspicuous, they made it to the elevator for some 'private time', with Chuck casually knocking Sarah's glasses askew, her hand fiddling with his tie as they began to decrease the time between their kisses, deterring anyone else from riding the lift with the affectionate couple.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Sarah separated herself from Chuck's lanky figure. He coughed and shuffled in his suit whilst patting down creases Sarah had made, uncomfortable with her close proximity. He adjusted the strap of the satchel and had an intense need to fill the suffocating silence. He began to speak but so did Sarah, resulting in an awkward laugh from the pair and more agonising silence between them. The flat, out of date elevator music merrily tingled away, oblivious to the tension between handler and asset. '_Why was it never easy to talk to her alone?'_ Chuck wondered.

"Uh, you did good tonight Sarah. I think you even had Casey convinced we were a couple." Chuck turned away, and gurgled uncomfortably whilst widening his eyes in mortification. He missed the slightly amused look on Sarah's face. '_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!' _ Chuck silently chastised himself, unaware that Sarah was talking to him. It was only when the blonde tapped him on the shoulder Chuck realised she was telling him something. "I said, be on your guard. Fulcrum may have muscle guarding Carlyle's' room."

Chuck rapidly nodded, afraid to speak. The CIA agent grabbed her silenced pistol from her clutch which she promptly pressed into Chuck's chest, gently pushing him further back into the elevator. "Hold this, will you?" Sarah's eyes became steely, focused on the elevator doors as she cocked her gun and pointed it dead ahead. This was going to get interesting.

With a soft ding the lift shuddered to a stop and the doors slowly opened. Sarah practically ran out of the elevator to secure the area. Chuck stood in stunned silence and sighed. "Alright... I'll just wait here then. I'll be the baggage boy... who's holding all the equipment. But no weapons. Great. If Fulcrum comes for me I'll make sure to hit 'em with my trusty accessories."

Chuck's earpiece rustled unexpectedly and Sarah's confused voice whispered in his ear. "Did you say something, Chuck?"

Chuck straightened up and hurriedly left the elevator, his voice rising in pitch. "Nope. Nada. Not a thing. It's all good, Sarah." Chuck drawled as he shook his head in defeat – man, he was such an idiot sometimes. He always managed to forget that they were linked via the earpieces. Chuck rounded the corner and nearly ran slap bang into Sarah, who was crouching behind the wall. She raised her finger to her lips, motioning for him to be quiet. He stooped over so Sarah could speak softly to him.

"There are two security guys outside of Carlyle's room. We've got to take them out before we get in." Chuck poked his head out from their hiding place and saw the two muscle-bound goons. His eyes rolled back in his head and he inhaled as he flashed on their faces. Pictures of dead bodies dumped in desolate laneways followed by standard issue CIA files that stated in large bold letters *FULCRUM* flickered behind his eyelids. Sarah pulled Chuck back behind the wall, a worried look on her face. Chuck idly noticed that she had a little crease in her brow when she was concerned. He gave her a goofy grin but wiped it off when she lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow..." he complained good-naturedly, rubbed his shoulder and continued. "Those guys are Fulcrum. They're serious business. Like dead bodies in dumpsters, serious. There's no way we can use guns. We'd be riddled with bullet holes in a matter of seconds."

Sarah pursed her lips at this new information but slowly a sly smile lit up her face.

"I have an idea..."

Chuck watched in amazement as Sarah manoeuvred the clip in her hair so that the pale curls tumbled out on her face. She ran her fingers through it, messing up the previously perfect updo. She also removed the dark glasses and her stiletto heels, grabbing them in one hand while simultaneously managing to pry open the top button of Chuck's shirt.

Grasping his hand she led him down the carpeted corridor, padding barefoot towards the Fulcrum heavies, giggling uncontrollably. Chuck joined her laughter but was quickly silenced as Sarah planted a huge kiss on the side of his face. He pulled her into him, savouring the moment but Sarah broke away, tapping Chuck on the nose with a finger.

"Not until we get to our room, honey." She slurred, loud enough for the Fulcrum agents to hear. The closest guard turned towards them, a sneer on his face. Sarah held Chuck's hand out as she walked backwards and purposely bumped into the brawny agent. The rogue agent flexed his muscles, unimpressed at the drunken couple's public display of affection.

"Keep moving." the guard snarled.

"Sure thing..." Sarah acknowledged; all signs of her drunkenness were now gone. "Now Chuck!" She shouted as her right hook connected to the guard's face with a solid crack, his head recoiling with the force. Chuck took to the ground and hid out of the way behind a planter box feeling entirely useless.

He watched in amazement as Sarah wrapped her arms around the back of the man's neck and brought her knee into his face, causing him to crumple to the ground in a moan of pain. The second guard tried to grab Sarah's arm, but she deflected his advances, elbowing him in the gut with a small grunt of exertion; which gave her enough time to deliver a swift back kick to his solar plexus, further winding him. The first Fulcrum agent began to rise off the ground, clutching his bloody nose as Sarah swept his legs out from under him and pinched the vagus nerve on the side of his neck, keeping him down. Her remaining opponent whirled her around; they became deadly dance partners. The burly man had grasped both of Sarah's wrists, slowly crushing them under the amount of pressure he was exerting. Chuck could see the grimace on Sarah's face which changed into a wicked smile as she brought her knee up into his groin, resulting in him releasing her wrists alarmingly fast. Chuck almost felt bad for the man. While he was down, Sarah brought her fingers together and delivered a lighting fast jab to the man's throat causing him to grasp his neck and fall face first into the carpet.

Chuck audibly gulped as he meekly came out from his hiding spot. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Sarah let out a breathy laugh, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she caught her breath and rubbed at her aching wrists. Casey's voice crackled over the wire. "Everything okay Walker? Sounded like quite a fight."

"Nothing I couldn't handle" the CIA agent replied nonchalantly, running one hand through her hair and wincing at the movement. She motioned to Chuck to pass her the bags he was carrying.

"I'll sweep the room for bugs. You put these guys somewhere nice and cosy."

Sarah turned towards Carlyle's room limping slightly, while Chuck stared at the unconscious Fulcrum agents. "'S nothing personal, boys. Business is business."


	3. Not Bad, For The Intersect

**A/N: If you haven't noticed, I'm lazy with my notes. Copy 'n paste it is! Just a reminder for you guys, this story is set in good ol' season two, just after _Chuck versus the Suburbs _but before _Chuck versus the Beefcake_. Also as badly as I wish it could be I don't own _Chuck_ or any of the characters. This is purely my mind going into overdrive. Enjoy.**

* * *

**_5_**

_Girl is on my mind _

_Try to ignore, try to unwind _

_She is on my mind_

_-'Girl Is On My Mind' by The Black Keys_

* * *

Chuck grunted as he dragged the Fulcrum agent along the carpeted floor of the hotel. '_Man, this guy must weigh at least 200 pounds', _he kicked open the door of the janitor's closet and unceremoniously dumped the agent on top of his fellow Fulcrum operative whom Chuck had previously placed in the secluded area. Chuck dusted off his hands at a job well done, grinned and thought to himself, '_Not bad for the Intersect_.' He locked the closet and headed off to Carlyle's apartment where Sarah was waiting, battered and bruised.

He entered the room and Sarah turned to give him a small smile that melted his insides. God, she was beautiful. Even after beating two Fulcrum agents to a pulp. He found that kind of hot, actually. Chuck licked his lips as he began to speak. "Y'know, I would've just waited in the surveillance van if I knew things were going to get this hairy."

Sarah raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her asset. "Chuck, there's no way you would have stayed in the van."

He sighed and shook his head in mock disapproval. "Agent Walker, how could you think so little of me?"

Sarah's almond-shaped eyes glinted with amusement as Chuck sat down next to her on the roomy queen-sized bed. "When have you ever remained in the van?"

Chuck went to rebut but stopped short, not being able to actually think of a time when he had stayed put; "Good point" he admitted.

As Sarah set up the laptop to connect with Casey's feed, Chuck's eyes wandered around Carlyle's suite: For a researcher, she had damn nice accommodation. In addition to the giant bed in the middle of the gold and maroon room, the penthouse suite included a balcony overlooking the adjacent park, a mahogany writing desk filled with what must have been Dr. Carlyle's papers, a baby grand piano, a dumb-waiter and a spacious bathroom which featured a dual headed shower and a Jacuzzi. Sarah's smooth voice snapped Chuck out of his reverie as she tapped away on the keyboard.

"I'm in. Casey, can you hear us?"

"Loud and clear, Walker" the NSA agent grunted. The tiny spy camera hidden in Casey's tie clip began relaying video to the monitor in front of Sarah and Chuck. As Casey began to circulate throughout the room, offering suspects more champagne, Chuck scanned the screen for signs of any Fulcrum activity. Minutes passed and the Intersect still hadn't flashed on anything or anyone.

"Man, I hate surveillance." Chuck exhaled noisily and fell backwards on the bed. Sarah kicked his leg with her bare one, and the sensation of her soft skin was electric on his.

"Stay alert Chuck. We need to find Carlyle. You've got to flash on something." Sarah stood up then, feeling the need to stretch her long legs. She began to pace around the room, rolling her shoulders which accentuated the curve of her bust and her behind. The movement drew Chuck's already wavering attention from the puny surveillance monitor and his eyes locked on his handler's lithe form, her slight muscles rippling underneath the skin-tight dress. She caught him staring and he looked down in embarrassment, noisily clearing his throat.

"What happens if I don't flash?"

"I'm sure you will –"Sarah was cut off by an all too familiar expression on Chuck's face. His eyes rolled back slightly as he lightly inhaled. The image of a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair pulled back severely from her face filled his head. Plans for genetic modifications were stored on a micro-drive along with bits of other incriminating research which were followed by flashes of screaming people being experimented upon and a codename: Panacea.


	4. Information Worth Dying For

**A/N: The next two chapters are gonna be a little short, but it's where the story breaks up nicely to (hopefully) keep you coming back for more. Just a reminder for you guys, this story is set in good ol' season two, just after _Chuck versus the Suburbs _but before _Chuck versus the Beefcake_. Also as badly as I wish it could be I don't own _Chuck_ or any of the characters. This is purely my mind going into overdrive. Enjoy.**

* * *

_**6**_

_So cling to what you know_

_And never let go_

_you should know things aren't always what they seem_

_-'Have Faith In Me' by A Day To Remember_

* * *

Chuck's head jerked forward as the information coursed through his brain.

"There!" Chuck jumped up and pointed at the screen, nearly toppling the laptop. "That's her! That's Lena Carlyle."

"Bartowski! I need a description", Casey growled.

"Uh, she's the woman with glasses, the 50's beehive hairdo and the weird necklace. That's what I flashed on – her necklace is actually a micro-drive with her research on it. She's not working for Fulcrum but –"

Chuck was cut short as he flashed a second time. "That man over there - the balding dude with the crooked nose? He's definitely Fulcrum."

"Affirmative." Casey mumbled as he began to close in on Carlyle's position. Sarah and Chuck followed Casey on the monitor as he tapped Carlyle on the shoulder and muttered in the doctor's ear. "Excuse me, ma'am? I'm afraid you'll have to come with me." Dr. Carlyle turned to Casey, confused at first then slowly became angry as she apparently recognised him. She stormed away from the undercover agent and managed to slip through the crowd, heels clicking. Chuck snorted into his headset, "Someone isn't happy to see you, Casey."

"Shut it, Bartowski. I've never seen her before in my life." Casey barked as he began to pick up speed.

In the room, Sarah sat down on the bed, eyes attentively glued to the screen. She flipped a lock of hair behind her ear as she spoke into the headset.

"Casey, she's getting away!"

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Walker" Casey grunted as he tried to manoeuvre through the crowd with the same grace as the woman, to no avail. Casey parted through the people, pushing his way through to catch up with the fleeing doctor. On the camera's feed, Chuck noticed a certain balding figure following Casey.

"Um, Casey, you've got a bogey tailing you..."

"I know Bartowski. I'm not blind."

The NSA agent darted through the crowd, momentarily losing the target who rounded a nearby corner into the now empty kitchen. The Fulcrum operative hot on his heels, Casey skidded to a halt as Carlyle backed herself into a dead-end, surrounded by various dry goods. Eyes flicking to the sides looking for an escape, Carlyle brought up her purse and took out a clear dome that she secured around her mouth using a drawstring. As the Fulcrum agent turned the tight curve and nearly ran into Casey, Carlyle brought out a clear purple vial containing a viscous liquid. Before Casey could reach out to grab her, she smashed it on the floor.

Casey and the Fulcrum operative began to inhale the noxious fumes billowing from the lilac cloud, which partially obscured the camera lens with its thick fog. Carlyle stood over the incapacitated pair and glared. "Fulcrum will never have my research."

"Walker...?" Casey began to cough and doubled-over. Carlyle smirked at the debilitated agent. "One question... where's this Walker, hmmm? We can't have any more of your friends looking for me, can we?"

Casey wheezed and spluttered, the fumes apparently having a truth serum effect on the war-hardened agent. "S-she and Bartowski are in your room" he gasped, unable to withstand the intensity of the gas.

Carlyle pressed her thin lips into a smirk and sighed. "That was far too easy. Remind me to make a less potent dosage next time" she purred as she chucked Casey under his chin. "Tell your friends that I have a nice surprise for them…" Sarah and Chuck turned to each other in horror as the camera tilted 90 degrees, indicating that Casey had slumped to the ground, out cold next to the already unconscious Fulcrum agent, with Carlyle's retreating form already in the distance.

"Casey!" Sarah yelled, alarmed. Chuck stood up. "We have to go get him, Sarah."

"It's too dangerous for you, Chuck. Who knows what she used on Casey – you're too valuable! I'll go and get him but you're staying put."

"You heard her, she knows we're here. I'm in as much danger down there as I am up here in this room!"

Sarah ignored her asset and began to hastily assemble her equipment on the bed to retrieve the comatose Casey. Chuck paced up and down the carpet alongside her as she prepared.

"You need another set of eyes, Sarah, not to mention someone to carry Casey. Have you seen how _big_ he is?! I'm coming with you."

Sarah paused, pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "You're staying here, Chuck. That's an order." Chuck stared down Sarah in defiance, their silence only broken by Casey's loud snores rumbling in the speakers.

"Sarah..." Chuck started, trying to change his handler's mind as the blonde's hand rested on the doorknob, ready to leave. "Did you order room service?" He raised his arm to point at the dumb-waiter on the furthest wall which now had a small blinking metal cylinder residing in it.


	5. This Isn't Fruit Punch, Is It?

**A/N: The plot thickens…**

**As always, here's a reminder for you guys, this story is set in good ol' season two, just after _Chuck versus the Suburbs _but before _Chuck versus the Beefcake_. Also as badly as I wish it could be I don't own _Chuck_ or any of the characters. This is purely my mind going into overdrive. Enjoy.**

* * *

_**7**_

_Should it all come crashing down around me  
would you be there should I stumble or fall?  
...Pick up the pieces..._

_-'Forever and Always' (Acoustic) by Bullet For My Valentine_

* * *

Sarah's eyes widened at the sight. "Grenade! Chuck, get down!" As she threw herself at the tall man; the air was knocked out of her chest with a small '_oof_' and her eyes instinctively squinted, waiting for the detonation. But none came. The duo breathed a collective sigh of relief and waited, until Chuck began to wriggle uncomfortably under the woman's warm body.

"Uh, Sarah? I think my leg's fallen asleep." But Sarah wasn't listening. She stood up, confused about why the explosive didn't go off. Sarah cautiously advanced towards the dumb-waiter as Chuck remained on the ground, shell-shocked. _This is just like the Bryce Incident_, Sarah mused; Chuck seemed to be a magnet for unexplainable _good_ bad luck. Bounding across the room, Chuck stopped next to his handler and picked up the metallic cylinder.

"Chuck! Don't-"Sarah didn't have time to finish her sentence as Chuck began fiddling with its shiny case. Her heart leapt up into her throat.

"See? It's perfectly harmless: it's a dud." Sarah snatched the device from Chuck's enormous hands which dwarfed her own, and held it securely.

"You didn't know that! It could have been live! It's an explosive Chuck; it's engineered to kill us." Sarah yelled at her asset. The genuine smile Chuck had on his face faded, replaced with guilty puppy dog eyes that made Sarah want to instantly take back her harsh words. _You have no idea what you do to me, Bartowski_, she grimly thought.

"Your safety is my number one priority, Chuck" Sarah whispered softly, feeling bad for shouting at him, when he only wanted to help. She looked down at her hands, where the grenade was cradled between her palms. A small dial on top of the canister pointed its arrow up at her accusingly. "Here. Have a look at it. But _I'm_ holding it, alright?" Sarah teased, desperate to lighten the mood. Chuck beamed, thrilled that Sarah was allowing him more responsibility. As he reached to check the cylinder, he accidentally knocked the arrow so that it aligned with a small notch on the side of the container.

A small hiss escaped the grenade, which neither Chuck nor Sarah noticed. What they did notice was the voluminous pink cloud that caused the cylinder to crack open and envelop them in a sweet-smelling mist.

"This isn't fruit punch, is it?" Chuck groaned.

* * *

It seemed like time had stopped. Sarah let the now empty canister roll out of her hands as it caressed her fingertips, falling to the ground with a soft thud. She felt light-headed yet extraordinarily heavy, her heart slowing with every beat, her legs threatening to collapse under her weight. Her brow furrowed as she tried to focus on the now blurry Chuck who had one hand on his head and one on Sarah's arm keeping her upright. Sarah forced her words past her throat but they sounded like a barely audible whisper. "Bathroom. Chuck. Now."

She thought she saw him nod but her vision had become so hazy it was hard to tell. She took one wobbly step towards the ensuite and the resulting rush of blood to her head threatened to make her pass out. Sarah's chest was constricted by the tight bodice of her dress, her shallow gasps only increasing her dizziness. "Chuck... you have to undo my dress. I-I can't breathe."

She heard Chuck groan as she motioned to the zip that followed down the length of the infernal gown. Still stumbling towards the tiled bathroom, Sarah placed her hand against the door frame to steady herself and give Chuck time to free her from her dress. Chuck placed one strong warm hand on her back and yanked on the zip, exposing Sarah's bare torso. Sarah turned her head to Chuck and gave a small smile of thanks. He squeezed his lips together; his eyes avoided looking at her now naked upper body. She ushered him through to the bathroom as she untangled herself from her clingy dress.

Chuck began to remove his own clothes, carelessly tossing his jacket across the bathroom floor whilst kicking his shoes off. Sarah staggered into the shower and twisted the knob to full-bore. She began to shiver as the cool water ran rivulets off her skin, darkening her pale hair to a dirty blonde. Sarah stretched out her arms to Chuck who was doing a clumsy dance trying to remove his pants, and pulled him under the dual jets of water in the shower. Chuck flicked the running water out of his eyes as Sarah scrubbed at his skin with a renewed vigour. She pulled his head towards her chest, pooling water over his features to wash away every trace of the intoxicating gas. She noticed that he had squeezed his eyes firmly shut to once again avoid looking at her chest. Sarah shook her own head under the spray of the nozzle as she ran her hands over Chuck's taut arm muscles, realising for the first time how muscular he actually was. Her hands slowed to a stop as her heart began to regain its steady beat, but it kept increasing until it quickened like a hummingbird's wings. Her eyes glazed over, unable to focus on any task while her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. Chuck frowned as he noticed the change in Sarah's pulse and grasped her petite frame with his hands and shook her slightly to help bring her back from her trance, his own heartbeat beginning to race.

"Sarah." Chuck said, worried for her wellbeing. "Sarah, focus on me."

Sarah's eyes connected with Chuck's and he could see that her pupils were dilated - but she was focused solely on him. He bent down to eye-level with his handler whose burning stare made him feel on fire. She bit down on her lip and his eyes sparkled in response. Her warm breath tickled his face and he moaned, wanting nothing more to close the gap between them. His eyes darted from her lips to her eyes as Sarah grazed her hand against Chuck's cheek, feeling the day-old stubble that was beginning to grow. He closed his eyes in contentment and ran his fingers through her dripping hair, eliciting a sigh from Sarah. And then she kissed him.


	6. The Five Senses

**A/N: ********Now we're in the nitty-gritty of the piece, Hence the M rating, so if you ain't comfortable with two people involving themselves in sexual relations or aren't mature enough (you know the drill); Chapter 7 has no sexy stuff. Please forgive me for the ton of editing I've done: people have requested that I have longer chapters so I've just kinda squished multiple chapters together. So ignore the numbering sequence -.-; **Also as badly as I wish it could be I don't own _Chuck_ or any of the characters. Writing this was fun to say at least. Since this is my first fic, please tell me if this scene needs work/is too subtle (or on the other end of the scale, far too obvious for an M rating...) ******My brain nearly experienced a meltdown writing this…**

* * *

_**6**_

_Got your heart in my hands  
like a time bomb ticking  
we should know better  
but we won't let go_

_-'Timebomb' (Acoustic) by All Time Low_

* * *

Chuck's eyes widened at the gesture but quickly closed as he pressed deeper into Sarah's kiss. All the sexual tension that had built up over the previous months was released in one embrace. His hands tightened around her body, pressing her svelte frame against his tall and thin one. She felt like nothing on this Earth. The spark between their near-naked bodies was almost tangible, their body heat rapidly increasing with desire. The cool spray of the shower trickled over their bodies, increasing their need for contact. Sarah pulled away, placing her hand on Chuck's heaving chest; her eyes lustful but also masking undercurrents of apprehension.'_ I want you,'_ they seemed to say, '_but I can't have you.'_ Chuck angled his face towards Sarah's, kissing the agent a second time as if to say,_ 'I don't care.'_

Sarah's lips were soft and responsive; fire coursed through the pair as they grazed each other's lips a third and fourth time. Sarah let her soft hands wander down Chuck's body exploring every inch of him, feeling the tense muscles of his arms, his chest, his abdomen as she finally reached the lip of his now drenched boxers. With a seductive smile she hooked her thumbs over the band and shimmied the offending article of clothing off of Chuck. His response was almost instant.

Chuck groaned, surprised at the power Sarah wielded over him. Chuck began to kiss all over Sarah's face, savouring her sweet scent and moved to nibble at her ear. She whimpered and slanted her neck as he caressed the exposed flesh, leaving a trail of goose-flesh as he kissed his way down and nipped at the line of her collarbone, causing her to tremble in anticipation. With his mouth occupied, his hands moved to her breasts and he palmed the supple mounds of flesh, turning to kiss each one in turn, knowing that Sarah liked it from the lazy circles she was drawing with her fingers on the nape of his neck. Chuck trailed his tongue down Sarah's toned stomach, kissing a ring around her navel and liking the way her skin tautened at his contact, sending a fluttery feeling throughout her body, only stopping when reaching her lacy black underwear. He shot Sarah a devilish grin and moved his mouth to the top of her thigh, holding the fabric between his teeth and pulled it down. As Sarah kicked out her legs to lower the piece of clothing, Chuck reached out and grabbed one porcelain thigh, showering the inside with slow, feather-light kisses as he made his way back up her toned body.

Sarah let out a flirtatious chuckle as she brushed her fingertips across the side of Chuck's cheek, diverting his attention. This allowed her to press her lissom form against Chuck's, pushing him back into the shower wall as she began to grind her hips against his, her full lips urgently searching his face for his slightly thinner ones. Sarah lowered her hands between their bodies and trailed her fingers up his form ever so softly, torturously slow. She tightened her grip and began to slide her hands up and down with a gentle twisting motion that made Chuck want to come right there. She smiled into Chuck's mouth as he made a guttural noise when she cupped his balls, caressing them with her electric touch. The lovers kissed deeper and deeper; Sarah brushed her lips against Chuck's, barely restraining herself. She parted Chuck's lips with her tongue and began to explore, stroking the roof of his mouth and sending Chuck abuzz.

Chuck stared deeply into Sarah's eyes: brown into blue as he pawed at her backside, payback for the earlier groping by the agent. She cried out, pleased with the feel of his rough hands on her skin and wrapped her legs around Chuck's waist, pulling him forward into her. He gave Sarah a cheeky grin and resumed kissing her as he fumbled for the knob of the shower and exited the cubicle, his handler around his waist.

Pressing Sarah against the tiled wall of the bathroom, Chuck adjusted his grip on her, sliding his hands down to her thighs. Sarah retaliated by holding the hair on the back of Chuck's head and biting down on his lower lip, a husky laugh escaping her throat as she followed down his neck, drawing patterns with her tongue against his Adam's apple. The spine-tingling sensation of Sarah's tongue snaking across his flesh caused Chuck to lean in against Sarah's wet and warm body and nip at the base of her neck, drawing her ever closer.

The ice-cold tiles sent chills up Sarah's back; she instinctively arched away from the wall and into Chuck's torso, her hands clawing at his back. Chuck positioned himself to enter his lover, her sharp intake of breath all the encouragement he needed. They began to rock back and forth, slightly slipping on the wet tiles as their pace increased with Sarah's hips bucking towards Chuck, lengthening their time together. Chuck slowed his thrusting as their forms intertwined, both scrabbling for a hold on the other; Sarah's nails digging deep into Chuck's back as a warm wave of pleasure rose from the pit of her stomach.

Gasping in passion, Chuck flipped Sarah around, her fingers now knotted in his hair. He reluctantly pulled his body away, moaning into her mouth as she dropped her legs and began to kiss back fiercely, pushing him backwards towards the door frame. The lovers paused with the blonde woman resting on the wooden frame as her lover enveloped her, holding both her wrists above her head with a single gentle hand whilst kissing her face, her neck, her shoulders as she mewled in pleasure; his body brushing against her body, teasing her. Their tangled bodies moved into the bedroom, their goal being the spacious queen-sized bed.

Entranced, the couple pushed each other deeper into the room, not looking where they were going. Their legs entwined causing Chuck to fall back on the piano, its keys playing a tuneless piece as Sarah crushed her body against his. He held the blonde in a tight embrace as they tumbled along the length of the keyboard, which made harmonious chords that rivalled the lovers' breathless snickering at their misplaced affections. They landed on the burgundy carpet, Sarah on top. She drew away then, mischief twinkling in her pale eyes. Chuck gulped and tried to sit up, but his lover placed one thin hand on Chuck's chest and pushed his torso to the ground with an impish grin.

Sarah sat back and straddled Chuck's waist, reaching backwards for his manhood as Chuck drank in the sight of the beautiful woman. She shifted down and shuddered as his entirety filled her, slowly gyrating her hips. Sarah leant her head back in elation as she rocked backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards; her long blonde hair still dripping down the smooth curve of her back. Chuck brought his handler in close and kissed along the peaks of her chest, with one hand meandering down and stroking electrifying circles that made her tremble as she arched her hips in time with his thrusts, her body urging his to go deeper. As their movements became faster driven by primal need, their rhythm synchronised with their cries echoing their actions. Their hearts raced, lust coursing through their veins as they reached their climax, their bodies convulsing with euphoria.

The lovers slowed as their desire was satiated, with Sarah resting on Chuck's chest as they both caught their breath. Chuck stroked Sarah's pale hair as she propped her chin up to look into the eyes of her lover, content. Their pulses slowed and beat to a soft rhythm in sync, the soft _lub-dubs_ a soothing reminder that for one moment they had truly lived without the constraints that the roles of handler and asset had placed upon them. The couple lay together in serene silence on the burgundy carpet, their legs rubbing against one another with Chuck absent-mindedly running his hands through Sarah's hair, her hands tracing invisible shapes on his chest; lulling each other to sleep. As Sarah kissed Chuck on the tip of his nose, she let out a small yawn. Chuck's chortles reverberated in his chest as he whispered to his lover. "Tired, are we?"

Sarah sleepily raised her head in agreement, a small half-smile on her lips and her eyelids near-closed. She let out a small sigh as she settled into Chuck's chest, curling in towards herself, making Chuck quietly laugh to himself. Suddenly, his eyelids felt incredibly heavy and he let out a yawn of his own. Before he closed his eyes, he saw Sarah's resting form on his; her chest slowly rising and falling as she gave a little snore. '_I could die a happy man'_, he idly thought.


	7. Wake Up Call

**EDIT: I am so sorry that I was a jerk and ****previously ended the story here. I have no idea what I was thinking (obviously I _wasn't_ thinking)**** so I've reopened this story and will write a conclusion soon. I feel like a total dickwad, so apologies for that. As always, I don't own _Chuck_ or any of the characters. Bear with me guys *sad puppy dog eyes*; I'll write a better conclusion soon!**

* * *

_**7**_

_It comes and it goes this wave of affection  
the fever, the nausea  
the constant attention, oh!  
Baby, baby - how can I keep it together?_

_-'Take a Card' by The Preachers_

* * *

Less than an hour had passed, but from the way Sarah's body protested it felt like she had been asleep for days. A quiet moan of complaint slipped from her lips as she curled in on herself, flexing her aching muscles that seemed to burn from the inside out as her head throbbed to a tempo of its own. As she rolled over, a warm arm unexpectedly covered her chest. Sarah's eyes snapped open. This was not good. This was not good at all. Chuck pulled her into him, unconsciously spooning with the CIA agent on the carpet. Sarah resisted the urge to scream as she scuttled away backwards on her hands and feet, furthering herself from the sleeping Chuck. She backed herself against the leg of the writing desk and gasped as she realised that she was naked. Grasping her knees with her arms in the foetal position she tried to steady her breathing. '_Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God._' Sarah thought her eyes wide as she bit on the tip of her thumb, _'I just had sex with Chuck.'_ The sudden realisation brought back memories of their intimate encounter and Sarah nearly cried out. _'What had possessed us to do it?_' Sarah mulled over their actions as she reached out with a tentative toe, to prod the leg of the oblivious Chuck. "Psst. Chuck. Wake up."

The handler poked her asset again, this time stirring the sleeping man. "Sarah? Go away... 's too early." Sarah rolled her eyes and nudged him harder. "Chuck, you need to wake up. We have a-a...situation." Chuck's left eye opened to a slit and both eyes widened when he saw Sarah's bare form leaning against the desk.

"Sarah, why are you naked?" He asked hesitantly as he felt the soft carpet against his skin and scrambled to his feet. "Scrap that. More importantly, why am I naked? And why does my back feel like I've been slow roasted? No. We didn't, did we? So it wasn't a dream?" Chuck's barrage of questions slowed as he became aware of his exposed state and the woman in front of him. He had the decency to blush as he casually turned away from his handler, avoiding eye contact. Sarah flicked her eyes towards Chuck's bare back and noticed the raw red marks extending down his frame. Her own cheeks turned a rosy pink as she realised that they were mostly caused by carpet burn, with a few raised scratch marks also blooming on his tanned skin. "Oh boy"_, _Sarah exhaled and rubbed her forehead as she answered her embarrassed asset's questions. "I think it was that... pink gas from the canister, it did something to, well, us."

Chuck chuckled nervously, "It did something, alright." An awkward pause filled the room as neither one knew what to say. Sarah raised her figure off the ground, facing away from Chuck. Chuck cleared his throat and his eyes wandered around the room to preoccupy himself as Sarah stood naked behind him, arms crossed. "So what happens now?"

"Now?" Sarah echoed. "Now, I'm getting dressed." She padded into the bathroom and shut the door. Chuck turned and stared blankly at where the woman had stood, moving to the bathroom's entrance.

"Can I at least have my clothes?" Chuck asked through the door. A pile of damp clothing hit him squarely in the chest and fell to a heap on the carpet. "Great", Chuck huffed and bent down to pick up the meagre heap that was his tuxedo. Hanging the suit jacket over his arm, he began to get dressed when the door handle of Carlyle's room began to rattle. Chuck's eyes widened as he turned to face the front door, slowly backing into the cool walnut door of the bathroom, his hand grasping the metal handle.

"...Bartowski? Walker?" Casey's low timbre murmured through the door, his speech still slurred from Carlyle's mystery concoction. Casey began to jiggle the handle faster as he became increasingly impatient with it, his signature grunt punctuating his efforts. Chuck gulped and pushed down on the bathroom door handle, "Sarah?" he whispered, "Casey's outside. Lemme in!"

"What?" The CIA agent hissed back, clearly unamused. Chuck leant his weight into the door, ready to bolt into the safety of the bathroom as Casey slowly stopped shaking the doorknob. Chuck sighed in relief and loosened his grip on the door.

"Bartowski! Walker! I'm breaking down the door." Casey yelled as he crashed his large frame into the door, causing it to shudder and Chuck's grip to instantly tighten.

"Sarah...?" Chuck gritted his teeth as Casey's attempts to break down the door increased in pace. The muffled thunder of Casey's body colliding with the groaning door ended with huge crash as Casey broke through the door, sending it swinging on its hinges as he blundered into the penthouse, still incapacitated by his exposure to the drug. Sarah opened the bathroom door from her side and yanked on Chuck's arm, rolling her eyes in exasperation as she dragged him into the tiled room and slammed the door shut. The momentum of her action caused the pair to stumble into each other's semi-naked bodies; Sarah released her grip on Chuck's arm lighting fast while Chuck cleared his throat and took a step back. Handler and asset stood apart as they listened through the door to the sounds of Casey almost comically trip over the equipment, dazed.

"Walker...? Bartowski...?" Casey groaned as he paused in the centre of the room and fell to the ground with a reassuring thud, his snores soon following. Chuck turned to Sarah and grinned. "Guess ours wasn't the only gas with a side effect, huh?" Sarah gave Chuck a weak smile and spun around to collect the rest of her clothes. Chuck's grin faltered and he stared at the pile of black material in his arms, avoiding unnecessary eye contact with the blonde. "So... about last night. Where do we go from here Sarah?" Chuck looked up from his tuxedo at the bent over, mute form of Sarah who was strapping on her stilettos. Her back to him, he could not see the confusion and anxiety clouding her eyes. '_Where do we go from here?'_ Sarah thought to herself as her heart sank. Their relationship was complex at the best of times and adding sex into the mix just blurred the lines even further; the return and departure of Jill had done little to bolster confidence for their future. Sarah wasn't one to let people get close to her but Chuck... Chuck was different. Sarah stood up, her eyes steely. She just could not deal with this now. She strode past the expectant Chuck, out into the main room promising herself she would not cry, but the warm lump in her throat and her blurry eyes told her otherwise.

"Sarah...?"

"Not now, Chuck."

* * *

"Our scientists are determining the composition of both gases as I speak: they seem to think that Major Casey was affected by-" General Beckman paused to focus on the sheet of paper in front of her, "a derivative of Pentothal and an anaesthetic which has yet to be classified." Casey grunted, displeased at the reappearance of the infamous truth serum. "Information about the gas that incapacitated Agent Walker and Mr. Bartowski is minimal at best..." Beckman sighed and shuffled the papers on her desk, "our scientists are unsure about the reagents you were exposed to. All they know is that it had the potential to affect your limbic and endocrine systems, causing a heightened emotional state and then drowsiness. In your report, Agent Walker you state that, _"After the asset and I were exposed to the substance, decontamination protocol was followed but soon after, both Bartowski and I fell unconscious." _Does this still hold true?"

Sarah stepped towards the screen. "Yes ma'am. I assume that our," Sarah coughed "'_heightened emotional state'_ was us falling asleep." Chuck piped in, eager to please Sarah. "Surveillance was quite slow after Carlyle mistook Casey for Fulcrum and knocked him out in typical bad guy fashion - all she needed was a black umbrella and a cigarette holder!" Chuck laughed but his chuckle died as Casey shot him a deadly stare. "What? Y'know... The Penguin... Batman... I'll just stop now."

General Beckman pursed her lips but nodded. "As for Dr. Carlyle, it is unfortunate that she escaped, but now we have an idea of who she is and what she is capable of; tracking her down should become easier. We'll assemble a team of analysts to look into where Carlyle has gone. Also, you are all confined to Castle under quarantine: I need a full report of all side effects any of you experience in the next 48 hours." The screen went black as Beckman signed out, silence reigning in the Castle.

Chuck cleared his throat as he swivelled around in his chair "Well..."

Casey and Sarah both walked away, leaving the Intersect alone at the meeting table. '_It's nice to know I'm loved', _Chuck thought. He pushed himself out of his chair and began to trail Sarah who was heading for the armory, his walk turning into a slow jog to catch up with the CIA agent.

"Hey, Sarah!" Chuck caught the shoulder of the blonde as he entered the room. "Now can we talk about our 'situation'?" He made air quotes with his fingers and beamed at Sarah, turning up the charm. Ever since she had walked out of Carlyle's bathroom, she had avoided talking directly to him: tending to Casey who stayed out cold for another two hours after his grand entrance and writing a seemingly never-ending pile of mission reports_._

Sarah placed her hands on her hips, confused by Chuck's blasé attitude. "Chuck..." She sighed and rubbed at her head as she continued in a low voice. "It's a lot to process. I-I don't know what can be said that hasn't already: We were under the influence of a drug that caused our emotions to become overpowering. We weren't ourselves." She clasped his hand as Chuck's form drooped.

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" Sarah called over her shoulder as she left.

"Yeah." Chuck sighed to himself, "Later."


	8. Loose Ends

**A/N: Sorry I haven't been around for a while. It's not you, it's me, I swear. You're lookin' goooooood. Is that a new outfit? It is a new outfit. Now that you're happy, here's another chapter for PDL. Since it's been a while, just a reminder that ****this story is set in good ol' season two, just after _Chuck versus the Suburbs _but before _Chuck versus the Beefcake_ and that I don't ****own _Chuck_ or any of the characters**. I'm getting back in the saddle writing this, so hit me with comments/critique so I can improve. Cheers.   


* * *

_**8**_

_And the worst part is, before it gets any better  
We're headed for a cliff  
And in the free fall I will realise that  
I'm better off when I hit the bottom_

* * *

In Chuck's life he had done many things that could qualify as a waste of time, but this took the cake. Sure, he'd managed to get through sixty-two levels of _Tetris_ on his old GameBoy Color while Team Bartowski was confined to Castle, but still - it just wasn't the same as _choosing_ to stay inside and have a gaming marathon. In hindsight, Chuck decided that he'd have to leave some more action-packed games down in his 'Emergency Castle Supply'; that is if he ever got _Metal Gear Solid_ back from Morgan. Chuck sighed and placed the yellow console on the meeting table as he stretched his arms and swung his feet off the table; _Tetris_ just not having the same hypnotic hold over him as it did when he was a kid.

Letting out an enormous yawn, Chuck leant back into his chair and glanced around the metallic décor of Castle. It definitely was starting to feel like home, especially since he seemed to be spending more time here than back at Ellie and Awesome's place. Speaking of Ellie, Chuck had painfully spent just over an hour lying to his sister that Sarah and he had gone on an impromptu weekend away to account for his time in quarantine. Ellie was less than impressed with his excuse, considering Chuck's last talk to her about Sarah and him.

"'_Sarah and I are never going to be anything more than what we are right now.' _That's what you said to me Chuck. Now, you're going away again? Tell me this is a good thing and not damage control for your relationship." Ellie queried. Even though the phone line separated the siblings, Chuck could feel his sister's fiery glare through the speaker. He gulped as he hesitantly replied.

"Trust me El, we're fine. It's just that we need to relax – away from the pressures of work and life. I think that's why the trip to the 'burbs didn't work out: Sarah and I need to take things at our own pace."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Chuck. You might be happy with where your relationship is at this moment, but is Sarah happy too?"

"Man, what's with all the questions Ellie? Are you interrogating me? You're interrogating me aren't you? Are you sure you're not a detective instead of a doctor?" Chuck's poor attempt at dodging Ellie's questions made his sister laugh.

"No," Ellie chuckled as she relaxed. "I'm just being a big sister. I don't want to see either Sarah or you hurt." Chuck paused at the sincerity in Ellie's voice. He realised that she really did care about his and Sarah's relationship.

"El, Sarah and I are doing great, seriously. You can wipe that worried frown off your face. I thought a surprise weekend getaway would be just the thing to patch our relationship up after the..." Chuck lowered his voice conspiratorially, "infamous house-sitting incident." Ellie's long silence on the other end of the line made her brother worry that she'd hung up, but when she answered, the sadness in her voice made him quiet too.

"Yeah. I guess. Just take care of yourselves, okay? Love you." The quiet click of the phone told Chuck that his sister had hung up on him in annoyance.

"Love you too, sis." He whispered into the now dead phone. '_Great_,' Chuck thought, '_now I've offended all the women in my life.' _That's when he'd dug out his GameBoy and begun his _Tetris_ run. Now almost twelve hours later he'd been brought back to reality by the eerie silence in Castle. After their encounter in the armoury, Sarah had holed up in some hidden part of Castle to avoid talking to Chuck, much to his exasperation. Casey was no better: he'd gone straight to the armoury after Sarah and Chuck had finished, picked out a small .45 pistol and began lovingly polishing every part of the gun. Chuck stood up and sauntered over to the armoury where Casey was still cleaning, a growing pile of polished and cleaned guns shining in the fluorescent lighting. Chuck leant in the doorway and watched Casey run a rag across a sleek black assault rifle. Casey had the stock balanced on his lap as he carefully polished the already shining body of the gun, pleasure glinting in his eyes.

"Damn, Vera. You're filthy." Casey mumbled. Chuck couldn't hold in his laughter. "You named your gun Vera? Wait, no. You talk to your gun? Man, I didn't expect you to be a sentimental one, Casey."

Casey narrowed his eyes at the unwelcome Chuck and irritation rumbled in his throat. "Shut up Bartowski." Casey continued polishing the rifle and leered at his gangly asset. "Besides, I bet you've named all of your stupid gadgets."

"Touché" Chuck admitted. "In fact, I do have a computer called HAL 9000. He's a bit controlling." Chuck took from Casey's silence that he didn't understand the joke.

"And I'll let you know that is a reference to Mr. Kubrick's film _2001: A Space Odyssey." _Chuck crossed his arms in defiance and sweetly beamed at the seething NSA agent before adding, "If you ever got out the armoury, you would know that."

Casey promptly cocked the rifle on his lap with a grin, causing Chuck to lose his smile and rotate his footing to leave the tiny room, only to run headfirst into an unwary Sarah who let out a small '_oof_' as the air was knocked out of her.

"Man. We seem to be doing a lot of running into each other lately. Is that like the third time?" Chuck said, amused as he winced and rubbed at his head as Sarah stood back, separating herself from him. Sarah arched her eyebrows in agreement and nodded, keeping her distance.

"I think so." She replied in a curt but polite manner. "Beckman called, she says our time is up. We're free to go."

Sarah finished her sentence with a soft smile that she directed towards Casey; avoiding all eye contact with Chuck which filled him with a twinge of frustration. Sarah was definitely acting weird around him now that they had done the dirty, which Chuck couldn't understand. From what he had gotten from their previous friendly flirting, she had some degree of feelings for him, but the incident at the hotel seemed to have pushed them deeper into the enigma that was Sarah Walker's head. As Chuck mulled over the mess that was his real relationship with Sarah, Casey barrelled past his asset with a harrumph, Vera in hand and thudded up the stairs to the _Orange Orange, _leaving Chuck and Sarah alone in Castle.

"Chuck?" Sarah stood closer to him now, her slender hand on his arm; the first physical contact since Carlyle's suite. "Beckman said we could go. That doesn't mean standing in the armoury." She joked, obviously more comfortable with Casey's departure.

"Huh? Yeah. I-I'm gonna go now, Sarah. See you tomorrow." Chuck turned and walked towards the meeting table, picked up his GameBoy and began to climb the steps out of Castle. He stopped on the third step and turned to steal a glance at Sarah, whose pale blonde hair had formed a curtain over her face as she lingered behind to file some paperwork. Sarah looked up at Chuck's paused figure and gave him a crooked smile. His heart swelled at the simple beauty of Sarah doing a menial task; she could make anything look good. That's when he decided they couldn't dance around the issue of them having sex any longer. Their relationship meant too much to him to lose it to such a trivial matter (well, it didn't feel trivial to him). He descended down the stairs, a lump in his throat as he tried to bolster his confidence to approach the issue with Sarah.

"Sarah...?" Chuck started. Sarah glanced at Chuck quizzically, her pale eyes betraying her uncertainty of what he was about to ask her.

"Chuck...?" Sarah echoed, her voice lilting at the end of his name.

Chuck cleared his throat and continued "I was wondering... we _still_ haven't really discussed the whole...y'know, thing that happened...between us." Chuck strung out his words to judge Sarah's reaction. Her blank countenance encouraged him to keep on rambling. He took a deep breath before he continued. "'Cause I think that gas canister was only partly to blame. Well, on my part anyway." Sarah's brow furrowed and she made to say something, but Chuck uncharacteristically cut her off. "Just... just bear with me here: I'm not saying we have to talk about it right now, here in Castle, but I would like to talk about it at some stage. 'Cause I don't want to stuff up what we have here" Chuck gestured at the small space between the couple with a kind smile "just because a mission went a _li'l_ off task." Chuck stopped then added, "When you're ready, of course." His last sentence put Sarah at ease, her posture relaxed as she reciprocated his smile.

"So, anyway, would you like to come over tonight, 'bout half past 7? Just as a friend - no cover relationship needed: I'll get Ellie and Awesome out of the house, so we can have a few beers and relax. No talking about the past 72 hours necessary." Chuck smiled expectantly at the hushed CIA agent who shuffled the paperwork in her grasp. Sarah's smile widened into a grin with the promise of alcohol and relaxation.

"You sure know how to make a girl happy, Chuck." Sarah reassured her asset and blushed at the deeper meaning of her words. "I think we really need a night to ourselves. After everything that's happened it sounds like a good idea." Sarah fiddled with the corner of the sheet of paper in her hands as Chuck's grin widened.

"Great!" Chuck began to walk backwards, nearly tripping over his own two feet and grabbed the rail of the staircase to steady himself. "See you then."

As Chuck practically skipped out of Castle, his glowing beam about to split his face, Sarah shook her head in amusement. There was no denying it; Sarah had fallen for Chuck's adorably dorky manner and the strangest part was that she was okay with it. Her own smile threatening to overtake her face, Sarah continued to stack and collate the backlog of mission reports that she had written. The past 72 hours had seemed like some long-forgotten nightmare: the vivid images that had seemed terrifying at the time were transforming into dark and dull shapes which had slowly receded to the back of Sarah's mind.

As she finished clearing away the reports, Sarah stood back to admire her work and brushed an annoying strand of hair away from her face. Pleased with her work, Sarah stooped down to collect her satchel when a loud buzzing began. Sarah warily stood up as the noise became louder and louder. Reaching for her sidearm, Sarah tiptoed to the source of the noise behind the many monitors and computers that Castle housed, to where an old white fax machine was humming away and shaking violently. Sarah relaxed and placed her pistol back in its holster, snorting at her own foolishness.

"We have a fax machine?" Sarah murmured in surprise. "Who uses fax anymore?"

Sarah watched the machine rumble and groan for a little longer before it began to systematically spew out shiny white sheets that featured the blue CIA seal. Curious, Sarah gently lifted a sheet from the small pile that was gathering and tried to understand the scientific jargon the best she could. From what she could gather, it was her and Chuck's blood results after the exposure to the pink gas. She scanned the sheet for some useful information and when her search proved fruitless, she moved to the next sheet in the lab analysis. In big bold writing was a complete breakdown of all the substances in their blood stream that had elevated concentrations after the attack. Sarah's eyes whizzed down the list, dismay filling her as she understood the results. Reading all that she could bear, Sarah stuffed the papers into her bag and rubbed at her forehead. She couldn't tell Chuck, not now anyway. He was the happiest he'd been since this whole debacle had begun and informing him of the results would seem like she was pushing him away. Sarah became confused: part of her was relieved that she only had sex with Chuck under the hormonal influence of the gas, but the other part of her was sad that it took a chemical attack for her to carnally admit her real underlying feelings. Why couldn't they just be a normal couple? Sarah sighed and checked her watch. The silver hands on the clock face surprised Sarah at how late it was. If she was going to meet Chuck for drinks, she better hurry.

* * *

Parking her Porsche outside the apartment block, Sarah killed the engine and sat in silence in the dark interior of her car. Her eyes flicked to the rear view mirror, where her satchel rested on the back seat, the incriminating papers burning a hole in the bag. Tonight, she was just going to have fun with Chuck after everything that had happened. They were going to sink a few beers, talk and relax like friends do. _'Why was this so hard?'_ Sarah wondered.

Behind her, the bright yellow lights of the Porsche flashed to indicate it had locked; Sarah began the long walk to Chuck's residence, heels clicking. As she reached the door of the building, she deeply inhaled to calm herself. '_We're just friends.'_ Sarah repeated. _'This is what friends do.'_ She pushed in the doorbell and waited for Chuck to answer. She was about to ring it again when the wooden door flew open, Chuck standing behind it, a strained grin on his face and a bottle of beer in his hand.

"Chuck?" Sarah asked, worried at his expression.

"Just go with it." Chuck hissed through his teeth as he leant into his handler and kissed her right on her lips.


End file.
